Saturday, July 9, 2011
Derek Jeter Homers for 3,000th hit
You can view the whole experience from my seat in Sect. 323. I was with my good friend Mike for moments to never be forgotten. JETER'S 3,000th.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Five questions for the Jets offense
Flashbacks of the 2008 debacle are going to keep New York Jets fans from sleep for a few weeks.
Before the Jets final drive Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, fans kept warm by dancing to Taio Cruz's "Break your Heart" and as fate would have it-- that's exactly what Mark Sanchez and the Jets offense did. After a short week the offense was supposed to redeem themselves from the Monday night massacre in New England and instead was the laughing stock of the 6-10 upset, in the Jet's third re-run this season of "Thanks defense, sorry we just couldn't pull it together."
Let the finger pointing begin. Allow me to start.
1. 'Ground and Pound?' Why throw the ball 44 times?
Not to mention- it was a cold, windy, rainy night. I don't think it was wet enough for Santonio Holmes to come up with excuses for why he dropped a wide open pass in the end zone in the 2nd quarter, but apparently Sanchez had no complaints about his grip on the ball as he continuously missed targets throughout the whole game. Did offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer give up on the run game altogether? LaDanian Tomlinson and Shonn Green struggled up the middle with Karlos Dansby staring them down, but by halftime the slow offense already revealed they were more in the mood to throw.
2. Who's the better (or less bad) running back?
Pertaining to right now, not one month ago. Though neither back got the ball as much as expected, Tomlinson certainly looked more than four weeks older than he was four weeks ago, when he was at the top of the league in rushing touchdowns. Miami's defense is ranked 8th in rushing yards allowed, and it's only going to get tougher with Pittsburgh and Chicago road games next, the top two rush defense's in the league. With tackle Damien Woodey nursing another injury, Schottenheimer might also want to look into running the ball away from backup Wayne Hunter. Sanchez might be in the spotlight with tomatoes at his feet now, but I'd say the ground game has more bad potential to symbolize the entire season that crumbles in the final weeks.
3. Is the Brad Smith wildcat draw even worth running anymore?
Certainly I'm referring to the fourth-and-one that failed in the second quarter, but one can question worthiness of the wildcat offense altogether anymore, which is a near given run up the gut. Hand-off or not, the play usually ends no more than three yards right in front of where it started.
4. Why even consider benching Mark Sanchez?
Ryan really blew me away on this one. This AP article broke that he considered it in the third quarter. Take the most confident coach in the league, have him bench the softest quarterback in the league next to Vince Young, and you'll have more problems on the sideline than just Sal Alosi's knee. Not only are Mark Brunell nor Kellen Clemens incapable of leading Ryan's self-declared best team in the league, it would wreck the tender and bit of self confidence he still has. The most important thing he's holding on to is the fact that he's the leader and he's the future. As for today, he's still the future and the Jets need to stand by that. Shaking things up wouldn't drive him to bounce back from it if the Monday night massacre wasn't enough.
5. How short is Brian Schottenheimer's rope?
Time can only tell. Sunday night, fans in section 349 were chanting "fire Schotty" before halftime, and after that, not much was done to help his case. It seemed like he tried to do too much-- attempting to establish the pass before the run, consequently failing to do either. True- there were pass plays that would have worked if hands did their job, but it became more evident that the star-studded offense has become too much for itself. Under a coach like Ryan, who prides himself in the team's identity around the league and the stern philosophy to "play like a Jet" and "not change who we are"-- now might be the time for "Schotty" to ditch the over-the-top play calling and re-establish an identity of more traditional ground and pound play calling. If not, I'd say that same identity will be in different colors next year.
Before the Jets final drive Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, fans kept warm by dancing to Taio Cruz's "Break your Heart" and as fate would have it-- that's exactly what Mark Sanchez and the Jets offense did. After a short week the offense was supposed to redeem themselves from the Monday night massacre in New England and instead was the laughing stock of the 6-10 upset, in the Jet's third re-run this season of "Thanks defense, sorry we just couldn't pull it together."
Let the finger pointing begin. Allow me to start.
1. 'Ground and Pound?' Why throw the ball 44 times?
Not to mention- it was a cold, windy, rainy night. I don't think it was wet enough for Santonio Holmes to come up with excuses for why he dropped a wide open pass in the end zone in the 2nd quarter, but apparently Sanchez had no complaints about his grip on the ball as he continuously missed targets throughout the whole game. Did offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer give up on the run game altogether? LaDanian Tomlinson and Shonn Green struggled up the middle with Karlos Dansby staring them down, but by halftime the slow offense already revealed they were more in the mood to throw.
2. Who's the better (or less bad) running back?
Pertaining to right now, not one month ago. Though neither back got the ball as much as expected, Tomlinson certainly looked more than four weeks older than he was four weeks ago, when he was at the top of the league in rushing touchdowns. Miami's defense is ranked 8th in rushing yards allowed, and it's only going to get tougher with Pittsburgh and Chicago road games next, the top two rush defense's in the league. With tackle Damien Woodey nursing another injury, Schottenheimer might also want to look into running the ball away from backup Wayne Hunter. Sanchez might be in the spotlight with tomatoes at his feet now, but I'd say the ground game has more bad potential to symbolize the entire season that crumbles in the final weeks.
3. Is the Brad Smith wildcat draw even worth running anymore?
Certainly I'm referring to the fourth-and-one that failed in the second quarter, but one can question worthiness of the wildcat offense altogether anymore, which is a near given run up the gut. Hand-off or not, the play usually ends no more than three yards right in front of where it started.
4. Why even consider benching Mark Sanchez?
Ryan really blew me away on this one. This AP article broke that he considered it in the third quarter. Take the most confident coach in the league, have him bench the softest quarterback in the league next to Vince Young, and you'll have more problems on the sideline than just Sal Alosi's knee. Not only are Mark Brunell nor Kellen Clemens incapable of leading Ryan's self-declared best team in the league, it would wreck the tender and bit of self confidence he still has. The most important thing he's holding on to is the fact that he's the leader and he's the future. As for today, he's still the future and the Jets need to stand by that. Shaking things up wouldn't drive him to bounce back from it if the Monday night massacre wasn't enough.
5. How short is Brian Schottenheimer's rope?
Time can only tell. Sunday night, fans in section 349 were chanting "fire Schotty" before halftime, and after that, not much was done to help his case. It seemed like he tried to do too much-- attempting to establish the pass before the run, consequently failing to do either. True- there were pass plays that would have worked if hands did their job, but it became more evident that the star-studded offense has become too much for itself. Under a coach like Ryan, who prides himself in the team's identity around the league and the stern philosophy to "play like a Jet" and "not change who we are"-- now might be the time for "Schotty" to ditch the over-the-top play calling and re-establish an identity of more traditional ground and pound play calling. If not, I'd say that same identity will be in different colors next year.
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